Worship Service Times

9:00 AM - Chapel

10:00 AM - Sunday School

11:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream

Baby & Toddler Nursery is available during both services

Podcast Raleigh Court Herald-December 2025 Issue

Church Office Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM

Friday 8:30 AM-1:00 PM

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the Lord,

    and your plans will be established.

The word commit in Proverbs 16:3 is stronger than a hopeful intention. In Hebrew, the word means to roll something onto the Lord, like taking the full weight of your plans, fears, hesitations, limitations, and hopes, and placing them squarely in God’s hands. Commitment in Scripture is not half-hearted. It is a deliberate letting-go of our excuses, our distractions, and our desire to stay in control.

But commitment is also one of the hardest spiritual practices we face. We know this not only from our own lives, but even from the stories we teach our kids. I think back to God Alive a few weeks ago when we were teaching the children about Moses. We walked the kids through his life and leadership in a wonderfully interactive way. When we reached the moment at the burning bush - the holy moment when God called Moses to step into the work laid before him - we invited the kids to imagine the excuses Moses might have used to avoid committing.

They came up with hilarious excuses like - “Excuse me, God, I have to go to the bathroom!” And yet their silliness spoke truth. Because isn’t that how commitment works in our own hearts? We rarely say, “God, I don’t want to obey.”

Instead, we say:

“I’m too busy.”

“I don’t feel prepared.”

“Someone else would do this better.”

“Maybe later.”

Or the modern equivalent of a bathroom excuse! 

These are the small distractions that help us avoid God’s holy calling. The kids’ playful answers reveal something deeply human: we are masters at avoiding commitment when God calls us into work that feels big, inconvenient, or beyond our abilities. And yet Proverbs 16:3 doesn’t tell us to accomplish the work for God. It tells us to commit it to God. That commitment is less about perfection and more about surrender. Less about having the right skills and more about offering a willing heart. Less about being ready and more about trusting our Lord who calls us.

When we roll our plans, our work, our ministries, our families, and even our fears onto the Lord, the promise is not that everything becomes easy. The promise is that God will steady the path and strengthen the effort … and the future will unfold and I bet God will be seen within that future! 

So today, reflect on where commitment is hard. Where the excuses pile up. Where the distractions feel easier than faithfulness. And then imagine yourself - like Moses - standing before the burning bush, holy ground beneath your feet, hearing God invite you into something larger than your comfort.

What would it look like today to say – “Here I am, Lord - I’m rolling this onto you.”

-Leigh Sackett, Director of Christian Education

Poinsettias for Advent - Deadline: December 10

If you would like to dedicate a poinsettia in honor or memory of someone special, please complete the form in the This Week at RCPC with name(s) for dedication or complete the envelope in the pews and place the envelope in the offering plate. The deadline to order is Wednesday, December 10. A list will be included in the bulletin on Sunday, December 14. Dedications are $12 each and can be requested online at the link below (select Dedications/Memorials and add “Poinsettia” in the notes box) or by cash, check (made payable to “RCPC” with “Poinsettia” in the memo line).



RCPC Christmas Ornament

Purchase your RCPC Christmas Ornament before or after worship each Sunday! Ornaments are $20 each. These make great gifts or an addition to your own Christmas tree.

Youth Group Dinner Cooks

Do you like cooking for a crowd? We could use your help cooking a meal for our Youth Group. Click below to see dates open for dinner. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4AABAB2CA6FC1-58223510-youth#/

Sunday School Classes - Advent

Full descriptions available online at rcpres.org/adult-education

Exploring Christian Theology—Room 101

Led by Mike Lockaby

Join Mike Lockaby and others as they dig into the past to explore biblical and theological themes. Mike will be sharing more information about this semester's focus and class schedule on Sunday, September 7 in Room 101.

The Seekers—Room 201

November 30 - January 11: Advent in Plain Sight

At Christmas, God came into our ordinary world in the form of a child, and still today, God is at work through the ordinary stuff of life, if we train our eyes to see. In this daily devotional for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, Jill J. Duffield draws readers’ attention to ten ordinary objects that appear in the biblical narratives of messianic prophesy and incarnation—objects we encounter in our own lives. Through objects such as gates, trees, cloth, light, and water, readers will find new meaning in the biblical account of Jesus’ coming. By connecting everyday objects with biblical texts, Advent in Plain Sight prompts readers to see the near kingdom of heaven on earth and ponder what that divine proximity enables and asks them to do and be. Each daily devotional features a Scripture reading, prayer, and reflection, reminding Christians that God still dwells among us, even in the most ordinary places.

 Advent Creation - Fellowship Hall

November 30-December 21: Intergenerational Sunday School Led by Leigh Sackett

Parents and children, come join us as we make some memorable Advent gifts for our loved ones and those neighbors we are called to love out in our community. This class will replace all Children’s Sunday School classes and the Parent as a Verb class.

Alternative Giving 2025

Here’s Your Alternative Gift Guide:

Unsure what gift to get for someone for Christmas? Have no fear! Your Alternative Gift Guide is HERE! No gift here will be unwanted or go to waste. All gifts go to support our mission partners and the people who receive their services. Might we be led by our love of Christ to participate in alternative gift giving this Christmas. 

*** NEW in 2025: Post Pandemic, our mission partners are no longer able to accept donations of stuffed animals.***

Lucy Addison Middle School Angel Tree

Perfect for anyone with a soft spot for children, education, or if you want to teach a young child about giving a gift to someone else in need.

You can pick a tag off of the Lucy Addison Middle School Angel Tree in the Gathering Area to support a student and their family. The tag has suggestions for clothing sizes and general requests. You do NOT have to get every item on the tag. Total gift amount suggested to be around $50. All gifts will need to be brought in by Sunday, December 14. We request that all items go in one gift bag with the original tag stapled or taped to the outside of the bag.

Sudanese/South Sudanese Mission Group

Perfect for someone who is always making others feel welcome or for someone who cares about refugees and immigrants and wants to make a tangible difference to those who have made a new home in our Roanoke community.

You can support families holiday celebrations through the Sudanese/South Sudanese Mission Group by giving a $50 gift card (Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, or Aldi). Or by writing a check to RCPC with the memo line Alternative Giving – Sudanese Mission. You can drop gift cards off in the basket by Sunday, December 14.

West End Center Socks & Underwear Collection

Perfect to honor that parent or grandparent who thought every holiday was the right holiday to give you socks and underwear.

You can participate in the West End Center collection of socks and underwear aiding in each child at the West End Center receiving a full outfit with the efforts of other local churches. Sign up to give using the link found in This Week @ RCPC. You’ll sign up to provide a specific size of socks and underwear for a specific student. Please label the items you drop off so we know which student they are for. Drop off the Socks and Underwear in the appropriate box in the Gathering Area by Sunday, December 14.

RCPC Mission Partners

You can give a gift by donating to our mission partners in honor of a loved one. Stop by the tree in the Gathering Area, or use the Link in the This Week @ RCPC. Whether by physical form or an online sign up, let us know the gift you wish to give to support mission partners (Family Promise, House of Bread, RAM, Hunger Mission Team, Haiti Mission Group, Presbyterian Community Center, Rescue Mission, Care Portal, and West End Center) in honor of your loved one. Submit your gift online or submit the form and payment via check or cash to the church office to the attention of Julie Satterwhite. Whichever way you donate to our mission partners in honor of a loved one, the Deacons will collect the submitted information to mail a card of thanksgiving to your loved ones. All Forms must be submitted by Wednesday, December 17.

The below gift price points are examples of how to help our mission partners, but gifts of all sizes are helpful.

Perfect for the one always cooking for others:

· $20 funds the flour for one bake day at House of Bread

· $100 equals 20 bags packed for a hungry kid through the Hunger Mission Team

· $85 covers an average food order at Presbyterian Community Center

Perfect for an educator in your life:

· $150 pays for 404 meals served in a single day at St. Timothee’s School in Larivoire, Haiti

· $35 pays for a family's tuition for one week at the West End Center

Perfect for the ever-gracious host:

· $25 supports an overnight stay through the Rescue Mission

Perfect for someone who always gives you a “lift” (whether it’s emotional or physical!)

· $56 will provide a monthly bus pass for one adult at Family Promise

Perfect for someone who is always looking out to help other families:

· $40 covers diapers and wipes for a financially struggling Mom through Care Portal

Perfect for that go-to person who is always ready to help:

· $40 supports one week of services for a client at RAM which helps individuals get back on their feet in a number of ways through case management, rent, utility support, and meals.

West End Center Homework Helpers

Do you have some afternoon time to help a child complete their homework? West End Center is in need of homework volunteers. The time is 3:30 - 5:30. You can stay for one group or do both. Come for one day a week or more if you can. These children just need a buddy to sit with them to help with the instructions and encourage them. If they complete their assignment, play a game, practice math facts or read a book. For more information call Susan Kessler or West End Center - 540-342-0902.

PORCH Communities

A number of members of RCPC are participating in Porch Communities either as a neighborhood coordinator and/or a monthly food donator. Porch Communities is a grass-roots nonprofit uniting neighbors to fight HUNGER. Thousands of volunteers around the country collect food from porches and condo lobbies once a month and deliver it to a local food pantry. This simple model is creating a reliable food supply for those pantries. More and more families do not have enough money to buy food, and as a result local food pantries are having difficulty keeping their pantries stocked. In October, Porch Communities in Roanoke served 1,511 individuals and the number is expected to continue growing.

There are currently 14 Porch Communities in Roanoke. Porch Coordinators contact people in their neighborhood or their condo building and explain Porch Community to ask if they would like to donate food. They provide a list of staples needed at their local pantry, give their neighbors the collection date each month, and then collect the food from your porch, doorway, or lobby and deliver it to their assigned pantry once a month. If you are interested in hearing more about Porch Communities, want to donate food, or would like to be a Porch coordinator, please contact: Carol Burmeister Prichard (cbp449@gmail.com or 603-504-4754)

Prayer Requests

Marvin & Roena Barbre, Dawn Blakeman, Jackie Blakeman, Rachel Cooper (Daughter of Carolyn Wilson), Courtney Cronin, Beverly Day and family (friend of Camilla and Johnsey Cabaniss), Nate Ellison (son of Jay and Polly Ellison), Nancy Farthing, Carolyn Hampton (sister-in-in-law of Mary Hampton), Debra Harris, Cameron & Susie Hutto, Cheryl Gilliland, Barbara Lashley, Susan Lindstrom, Megan Mallare (friend of Kathy Grove), Rusty McCown, Philip Moore (Hunter Moore’s father), Louise Morris, Betty Nance, Connie Pearlman, Amy Starr Redwine, Randy Remington (friend of Betty Remington), Ian Richardson (brother-in-law of Jonathan Crook), Janis Wertz, and all caregivers.

Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the family of Donn Branch following his passing on Sunday, November 30.

(Prayers request as of Friday, December 4. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)

WEEKLY SCHEDULE FOR GROUPS

• RCPC Preschool: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM
• Centering Prayer at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church: Monday, 10:00 AM
• Scouts-Troop 2 B: Monday, 7:00 PM
• AA-Primary Purpose: Tuesday & Thursday, 10:30 AM
• Tai Chi: Tuesday & Thursday, 5:30 PM
• Hip Sober Chicks: Thursday, 6:30 PM
• Opera Roanoke Chorus: Thursday, 7:00 PM
• Al-Anon: Friday, 11:45 AM

The Herald - Deadline for Articles: 10th of each month

This Week @ RCPC - Deadline for Articles: Wednesday of each week

Send submissions for The Herald and This Week @ RCPC to Julie Satterwhite 

Video Board in the Gathering Area - Send Information to Carole Banks